)  CHICAGO 

i 

ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES, 


ANNUAL  ADDRESS. 


1878. 


CHICAGO- 


ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES. 


ANNUAL  ADDRESS 


READ    BY 


E.  W.  BLATCHFQRD,  A.  M., 


PRESIDENT    OF   THE   ACADEMY, 


JANUARY  22,  1878, 


WITH  THE  REPORTS  OF  THE 


SECRETARY  AND  TREASURER. 


CHICAGO: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  ACADEMY. 

1878. 


S 

2 


OFFICERS 

OF  THE 


Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences 

FOR   THE   YEAR   1878. 


President, 
HENRY  H.  BABCOCK,  A.  M. 

Vice- Presidents, 
WILLIAM  BROSS,  A.  M.,     HOMER  N.  HIBBARD,  A.  M. 

Secretary, 
SELIM  H.  PEABODY,  PH.D. 

Librarian, 


Recorder, 


General  Committee, 

H.  H.  BABCOCK, 

E.  W.  BLATCHFORD,  J.  S.  JEWELL,  M.  D., 

WILLIAM  BROSS,  J.  H.  HOLLISTER,  M.  D., 

H.  N.  HIBBARD,  JAMES  OTIS, 

S.  H.  PEABODY,  F.  H.  DAVIS,  M.  D., 

E.  ANDREWS,  M.  D.,  S.  W.  BURNHAM. 

Committee  on  Membership, 

E.  W.  BLATCHFORD, 
S.  H.  PEABODY.  CHARLES  ADAMS,  M.  D. 


I 


ADDRESS. 


Members  of  the  Academy,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

To-night  we  pass  another  mile-stone  in  the  history  of  our  insti- 
tution. It  seems  appropriate  that  as  we  enter  upon  the  new  year, 
a  brief  review  be  taken  of  that  just  closed. 

According  to  the  provisions  of  our  constitution,  the  work  of  the 
Academy  is  twofold — the  collecting  of  objects  of  natural  history 
and  of  scientific  interest  in  the  Museum,  and  the  study  and  devel- 
opment of  scientific  knowledge  by  means  of  the  essays  and  discus- 
sions at  the  monthly  meetings — the  Library  being  a  necessary  aid 
in  each  of  these  departments. 

What  has  the  year  1877  accomplished  for  the  Academy  in  these 
directions  ?  The  report  just  read  by  our  Secretary  presents  quite 
fully  the  good  work  which  has  been  done  in  connection  with  our 
MUSEUM  during  the  past  year.  Its  results  in  the  number  and  the 
variety  of  the  additions  made,  are  gratifying.  In  the  present  incom- 
plete condition  of  our  museum  catalogue,  it  is  not  possible  to  state 
with  accuracy  the  number  of  specimens  we  possess.  We  are  safe, 
however,  in  placing  the  number  as  follows : 

MAMMALS 66 

BIRDS — Mounted -. 765 

Skins i,34O 

2,105 

OOLOGY — Eggs 1,800 

Nests  75 

1,875 

FISHES  177 

REPTILES 51 

CRUSTACEANS 50 

CORALS 300 

SHELLS 15,000 

INSECTS 6,000 

SKELETONS 5 

CASTS 150 

BOTANICAL  SPECIMENS 2,300 

MlNERALOGICAL  SPECIMENS 5OO 

PALEONTOLOGICAL     "          1,200 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL        «          270 


Total  number  of  specimens 30,049 


Of  this  collection  it  may  be  said  that  the  prominent  mammals  of 
North  America  are  here  well  represented.  Of  birds  we  have  speci- 
mens of  all  the  orders  but  the  ostrich,  and  of  most  of  the  families  of 
North  American  birds.  We  have  a  fair  representation  of  the  fresh- 
water fishes  of  the  country,  also  a  good  collection  of  shells,  and  a 
very  nearly  complete  collection  of  Florida  corals. 

In  this  connection  we  gratefully  recognize,  and  not  for  the  first 
time,  the  valuable  services  of  our  faithful  life  member,  Dr.  J.  W. 
VELIE.  In  the  winter  of  1871  and  1872  Dr.  VELIE  accompanied 
our  lamented  STIMPSON  to  the  Gulf,  and  such  time  as  could  be 
secured  from  his  constant  and  kindly  ministrations  to  the  invalid  in 
his  feeble  and  rapidly  declining  condition,  was  devoted  to  collecting 
and  preserving  specimens,  principally  from  the  strait  between  Cuba 
and  Yucatan.  Dredgings  were  also  made  off  the  Florida  Keys, 
from  Key-West  to  Sombrero,  which  were  sent  to  Prof.  AGASSIZ,  at 
the  Cambridge  Museum.  Dr.  VELIE  made  a  second  trip  to  the 
Gulf  in  January,  1875,  when  collections  were  made  from  the  Gulf 
Stream,  from  the  Tortugas  to  Key  Vaccas ;  and  upon  the  main- 
land of  Florida,  from  Cape  Sable  as  far  north  as  Charlotte's  Har- 
bor. The  third  trip  was  made  in  the  winter  of  1876  and  1877,  when 
the  Florida  coast  was  examined  from  Cedar  Keys  to  Key- West,  and 
most  of  the  rivers  ascended,  some  as  high  as  thirty  miles.  These 
expeditions  have  been  productive  of  rich  results,  and  have  added 
largely  to  our  collections  of  mammals,  birds,  eggs,  shells,  corals  and 
fish.  Justice  to  Dr.  VELIE'S  work  demands  this  statement  in  addi- 
tion to  the  acknowledgements  voted  by  the  Academy  and  the  grace- 
ful tribute  in  our  Secretary's  report. 

Our  Museum  secured  valuable  additions  of  shells  through  one 
of  our  resident  members,  W.  W.  CALKINS,  Esq.,  during  his  two 
expeditions  to  Florida,  in  which  both  the  eastern  and  the  western 
coasts  were  partially  examined.  The  value  of  these  services  have 
been  previously  recognized  by  the  Academy. 

THE   LIBRARY. 

The  monthly  statements  presented  to  us  by  the  Librarian  have 
prepared  us  for  the  favorable  results  detailed  in  the  full  annual 
ivj... rt.  \vhirh  has  heen  made  this  evening.  The  present  good  con- 
dition of  the  Library  is  due  to  the  patient  labor  of  our  Librarian 


and  Secretary,  who  for  the  past  fourteen  months  has  been  engaged 
upon  it,  together  with  work  connected  with  the  Museum.  While 
much  remains  to  be  done,  it  has  yet  reached  the  condition  when 
every  volume,  pamphlet  or  document  is  so  arranged  and  cata- 
logued as  to  be  readily  found  when  needed.  This  work  we  hope  to 
have  prosecuted ;  and  thus  will  our  comparatively  small  collection, 
thoroughly  indexed,  prove,  for  scientific  aid,  of  more  value  than  a 
larger  one  not  so  carefully  classified.  Were  we  able  to  resume  the 
publication  of  our  Transactions,  our  Library,  and,  indeed,  our  Mu- 
seum also,  would  receive  large  and  valuable  accessions,  both  by 
donations  and  exchange.  In  several  departments  of  science  we 
could  furnish  material  for  such  publications  had  we  the  means  to 
expend. 

THE    MONTHLY    MEETINGS. 

The  second  mode  through  which  the  influence  of  our  Academy 
is  exerted,  demands  a  brief  consideration.  In  estimating  the  growth 
of  the  Academy  hitherto,  and  in  forecasting  its  future  development, 
this  is  a  most  important  element. 

During  the  last  year  papers  have  been  read  before  the  Academy, 
by  its  members,  on  the  topics  named : 

Dr.  EDMUND  ANDREWS,  three  papers — 

Soundings  in  Geneva  Lake. 

Memorials  of  Col.  J.  W.  FOSTER,  LL.D.,  former  Pres.  of  the  Academy. 

Formation  of  Caves  and  Ravines. 
Prof.  ELIAS  COLBERT,  three  papers — 

On  the  Meteor  of  1876. 

Star  Conflagrations. 

The  Perturbations  of  the  Moon's  Motion. 
Prof.  S.  H.  PEABODY,  three  papers — 

On  Cephalopterus  Vampirus. 

Memorials  of  Col.  J.  W.  FOSTER. 

On  the  Blue  Ray. 
Hon.  WM.  BROSS,  two  papers — 

On  Archaeological  Remains  at  Morris,  Illinois. 

Notes  of  a  Trip  to  Starved  Rock  and  Deer  Park. 
Dr  J.  H.  HOLLISTER— 

On  the  Adoption  of  the  Metric  System. 
S.  W.  BURNHAM,  Esq. — 

On  Recent  Observations  of  Double  Stars. 
Prof.  A.  D.  HAGER— 

On  the  Culture  of  Shad. 
Prof.  T.  P.  REINSCH— 

On  a  Meteoric  Stone  Found  in  Illinois. 
W.  W.  CALKINS,  Esq.— 

On  the  Geology  of  Alachua  County,  Florida. 


1     s  roNE,  Esq.  — 

On  Plant  Distribution. 


Dr.  J.  |jJl^^-Rescarches  on  the  structure  and  Modes  of  Action  of  the 

Brain. 
I  .  S.  CHKSI-.ROUGH,  Esq.— 

On  the  Davenport  Tablets. 

II.  X.  RUST,  Esq.— 

On  Prehistoric  Graves  in  the  Vicinity  of  Nashville,  I  enn. 

'   A  Report  on  the  Third  Florida  Expedition  for  the  Collection  of  Spec- 
imens for  the  Academy. 

A  discussion  was  also  held  upon  The  Physical  and  Medical  Influ- 
ence of  the  Blue  Ray,  a  paper  being  read  by  Dr.  J.  H.  TUCKER. 

This  brief  emumeration   of  these  papers  gives  an  inadequate 
idea  of  the  real  value  of  the  meetings.     The  discussions  called  out 
at  the  time,  and  the  subsequent  discussions  of  these  and  kindred 
topics  among   the  members,  indicate  the  purpose,  the  legitimate 
influence,  and  the  power  of  the  Academy  in  this  department  of  its 
work.     During  the  past  year  we  are  able  to  recognize  a  marked 
increase  in  the  interest  and  value  of  these  meetings.     It  has  shown. 
itself  in  the  larger  attendance,  in  the  increased  number  of  carefully 
prepared   papers  presented,  and  especially  in  the  wider  range  of 
topics  discussed.     The  improvement  of  these  meetings  is  a  subject 
that  has  occupied  the  careful  attention  of  your  officers  ;  and  much 
<»f  what  has  been  accomplished  is  due  to  the  wise  planning  of  our 
Secretary.     But  in  order  to  develop  these  interests  yet  more  fully. 
it  is  essential  that  all  members,  working  in  special  lines  of  investi- 
gation, should  feel  it  their  bounden  duty  to  share  with  the  Academy 
s'Mue  of  the  results  of  their  study.     We  are  greatly  favored  in  hav- 
ing among  our  resident  membership  an  unusual  number  of  spec- 
ialists.    Astronomy,  Botany,  Geology,  Archaeology,  Entomology. 
Chemistry,  Ornithology,  Conchology,  and  Microscopy  —  each  has 
mm  mil  us,  at  almost  every  meeting,  a  representative.     With  such  a 
i-.iiiLro   of   talents    and    tastes,  certainly  our   meetings    should   not 
luck  in  interest.     T  am  aware  of  the  great  inducement  to  the  presenta- 
tion of  original   papers  which  an  ability  to  publish  our  proceedings 
\\ould  i'  resent,  both  to  our  resident  and  corresponding  membership. 
I'Yom  this  stand-point  is  derived  perhaps  the  strongest  argument  in 
favor  of  n-Munin^  this  work,  to  which  allusion  has  previously  been 

Hi:: 


9 

The  provision  in  our  constitution  for  the  encouragement  of 
specific  investigation  by  the  formation  of  Sections  of  the  Academy, 
has,  perhaps,  not  received  the  attention  it  deserves.  This  is  an 
important  means  of  securing  thorough  work  in  many  different 
departments  of  investigation,  while  making  our  Academy  the  center 
of  all,  and  the  dispenser  to  each  of  whatever  of  value  pertains  to 
our  institution. 

THE    PROGRESS    OF    SCIENCE. 

After  such  a  review  of  the  year's  work  as  has  been  presented, 
I  know  you  sympathize  in  the  reflex  wave  of  feeling,  "How  little 
has  been  accomplished  !"  How  little  when  contrasted  either  with 
our  hopes  and  purposes  and  aspirations,  on  the  one  hand,  or  the 
vast  field  inviting  to  research,  on  the  other.  But  in  the  grand 
world-field  of  scientific  investigation  the  working  brotherhood  is 
large,  and  the  smallest  constituency  may  rightfully  draw  upon  and 
appropriate  the  strength  and  vitality  of  the  whole.  Advancing  over 
the  world,  in  every  zone,  on  land  and  on  the  sea,  do  we  find  this 
fraternity,  applying  to  nature's  mysteries  the  wealth  of  intelligent 
research  and  patient  investigation.  Sounding  and  dredging  the 
seas,  and  threading  the  rivers  of  tropical  latitudes ;  detecting  and 
measuring  the  force  of  the  shoreless  rivers  of  mid-ocean,  and  map- 
ping for  commerce  their  invisible  pathways  ;  reducing  to  law  the 
wayward  play  of  the  winds,  the  phenomena  of  the  upper  air ;  forc- 
ing the  barriers  of  ice  and  cold  and  darkness,  which  for  ages  have 
safely  guarded  the  mysterious  polar  centers  :  dauntlessly  searching 
the  labyrinths  of  mines  and  caves,  descending  the  sulphurous  depths 
of  the  volcano,  and  anon  breathing  the  tenuous  air  of  the  loftiest 
peaks  of  both  hemispheres ;  unearthing  from  bog  and  plain  the 
crumbling  skeletons  of  animals  and  men, — fit  contemporaries  in 
those  prehistoric  ages  ;  supplementing  the  discoveries  of  nature's 
lenses  with  the  microscopic  treasures  of  the  near,  and  the  telescopic 
revelations  of  distant  worlds. 

What  answers  have  come  to  their  toilsome  quest  ?  Most  briefly 
may  we  allude  to  a  few  of  the  more  noticeable  among  the  many 
responses. 

In  Astronomy.  The  location  here  of  the  Observatory,  with 
its  grand  telescope,  and  its  great  success  as  now  employed,  warrants 
a  first  reference  to  this  subject.  Mr.  S.  W.  BURNHAM  occupies 


10 

himself  exclusively  upon  double  stars,  embracing  two  departments- 
the  search  for  new  doublets,  and  the  careful  observation  and  meas- 
uring of  old  objects,  which  had  been  neglected,  or  were  supposed 
to  be  single,  and  the  correction  of  errors  in  former  measurements. 
His  catalogue,  now  in  course  of  publication  by  our  government,  an 
issue  which  astronomers  in  this  country  and  abroad  are  awaiting 
with  interest,  will  reveal  the  valuable  results  which  have  been  here 
accomplished— results  which  may  be  considered  most  honorable  to 
our  young  city.  Mr.  BURNHAM  is  in  constant  correspondence  with 
eminent  astronomers  engaged  in  the  same  field,  in  Europe  and 
America.  HALL,  of  the  Washington  Observatory  ;  STONE,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, and  PICKERING,  of  Cambridge,  the  latter  engaged  largely 
upon  photometric  work,  may  be  specially  mentioned  in  this  country  ; 
while  abroad,  we  may  allude  to  FLAMMARION,  of  Paris,  who  is  to 
France,  as  a  writer,  what  PROCTOR  is  to  England  ;  to  STRUVE,  Di- 
rector of  the  Pulkowa  Observatory  ;  to  DEMBOWSKI,  of  Milan  ;  to 
WILSON,  of  Rugby,  and  GLADHILL,  of  Crossley's  Observatory,  in 
England ;  and  to  DOBERCK,  in  Ireland. 

The  great  event  in  Astronomy  of  the  past  year, —  and  the  most 
important  for  many  years, —  the  discovery  of  the  two  satellites  of 
Mars,  on  the  14th  and  18th  of  August,  by  ASAPH  HALL,  at  the 
Washington  Observatory,  occurs  to  you  all.  I  can  only  allude 
to  the  discovery  made  by  Prof.  DRAPER,  of  New  York,  of  oxygen 
in  the  sun, —  important  as  a  step  towards  ascertaining  the  con- 
stituent elements  of  this  body.  It  is  pleasant  to  note  that  our 
country  has  the  honor  of  these,  the  two  important  discoveries  of 
1877.  Possessing  two  instruments,  among  the  first  in  the  world, 
the  one  here  with  an  object-glass  of  eighteen  and  one-half  inches, 
and  that  of  the  Washington  Observatory  of  twenty-six  inches  in 
diameter,  we  may  reasonably  hope  to  keep  abreast  of  astronomical 
discovery. 

For  acquaintance  with  the  advances  in  the  science  of  Electricity, 
in  it-  manifold  applications,  Chicago  affords  admirable  opportunities. 
A  visit  to  tin-  extensive  manufactory  of  electrical  instruments,  in  the 
North  Division,  and  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  Western  Union  Tel- 
<  _'r;ipli  r.unpjmy.  where  the  instruments  may  be  seen  in  use,  would 
prove  the  assertion.  I  can  but  name  a  few  of  the  advances  made 
in  thi-  department  of  science  during  the  year. 


11 

A  practical  application  of  the  multiple  system  of  telegraphy  has 
been  made,  by  which,  while  terminal  offices  are  using  a  wire,  inter- 
mediate offices  may  work  it  at  the  same  time,  without  in  the  least 
interfering  one  with  the  other.  This  improvement  over  the  duplex 
or  the  quadruple  system,  is  the  invention  of  ELISHA  GRAY,  of  our 
own  city.  I  may  also  mention  a  practical  application  of  the  tele- 
phone, by  which  the  human  voice,  or  several  voices,  with  all  their 
individual  peculiarities,  may  be  transmitted  over  an  ordinary  tele- 
graph wire,  without  the  use  of  a  battery  ;  also,  the  production  of  the 
phonograph,  by  which  the  human  voice  may  be  recorded,  and  repro- 
duced after  the  lapse  of  any  period  of  time.  Improvements  in  the 
electric  light  are  in  progress,  whereby  former  difficulties  have  been 
to  some  extent  overcome,  the  expense  reduced,  and  larger  results 
attained. 

In  the  department  of  Chemistry  and  Physics,  the  result  of 
Professor  DRAPER'S  investigations  has  already  been  alluded  to ; 
but  the  relation  of  these  sciences  to  the  varied  metallurgical  pro- 
cesses, on  which  we  base  the  future  of  our  vast  territorial  posses- 
sions ;  the  advance  made  in  the  study  of  the  nature  of  light ;  the 
successful  use  of  the  spectrum  ;  the  researches  into  the  nature  of 
the  gases,  indicate  the  work  going  forward  and  the  possibilities  in 
reserve. 

In  Geology  and  Mineralogy  we  may  mention  the  valuable  sur- 
veys carried  forward  by  our  government,  under  the  charge  of 
WHEELER,  and  COPE,  and  WHITE,  and  HAYDEN  and  KING,  embrac- 
ing large  sections  of  Nevada,  Utah,  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Idaho, 
Arizona  and  the  western  half  of  Wyoming.  The  results  of  these 
surveys,  conducted  by  men  of  ability  and  of  large  experience,  with 
an  able  corps  of  assistants,  are  looked  to  with  eagerness.  The  meet- 
ings of  our  own  Academy  have  borne  witness  to  the  special  interest 
we  have  in  many  subjects  which  have  received  careful  attention  in 
the  progress  of  these  surveys.  We  may  remark,  too,  the  progress 
being  made  in  our  state  surveys.  The  researches  made  in  Europe 
and  Asia  are  also  noteworthy.  But  the  attractive  details  which 
press  upon  us  from  various  quarters,  time  forbids  our  entering 
upon.  We  look  with  interest  to  the  International  Geological  Con- 
gress, which  meets  in  Paris  during  the  coming  summer,  and  at 
which  I  trust  our  Academy  may  be  represented. 


12 

In  the  department  of  Botany  much  is  expected  from  the  exam- 
inations made  during  the  past  season  by  Sir  JOSEPH  D.  HOOKER, 
the  accomplished  Director  of  the  celebrated  Kew  Gardens,  and 
Professor  ASA  GRAY,  of  Harvard  University,  having  in  charge  the 
Government  Botanical  Survey  of  the  Territories  of  Colorado,  Wy- 
oming, Utah,  Nevada  and  California.  The  brief  and  fragmentary 
statements  which  have  come  to  us  of  their  work  and  some  of  the 
results,  lead  the  world  to  look  with  interest  for  the  forthcoming  full 
report. 

In  connection  with  the  various  surveys  which  have  been  alluded 
to,  Zoological  Science  has  been  represented  by  men  of  known  attain- 
ments in  its  several  departments.  It  has  devolved  upon  them  to 
collect  specimens,  and  study  the  habits  of  every  form  of  animal  life. 
From  these  sources  a  vast  amount  of  information  has  been  secured, 
and  extensive  additions  have  been  made  to  the  collections  in  the 
various  museums  of  natural  history  in  this  country.  In  Marine 
Zoology,  through  the  efforts  of  Prof.  BAIRD,  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  who  also  occupies  the  important  position  at  the  head  of 
the  United  States  Commission  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  large  collec- 
tions have  been  made,  from  which  duplicates,  by  gift  and  exchange, 
have  been  generously  distributed  to  kindred  organizations.  It  is 
fitting  that,  on  this  occasion,  mention  be  made  of  the  obligations 
our  Academy  is  under  to  the  Smithsonian,  for  its  long-continued 
liberality  towards  us. 

I  cannot  omit  mention  of  the  great  advance  in  Geographical 
Science  during  the  past  year.  Without  time  to  enumerate  the 
Arctic  expeditions  dispatched  from  Europe  and  this  country,  I 
must  be  content  with  briefly  noticing  the  grand  event  of  the  year, 
the  successful  exploration  by  STANLEY  of  the  river  Congo,  from  the 
lake  region  of  eastern  Africa,  through  twenty  degrees  of  longitude 
to  the  Atlantic.  Worn  by  sickness  and  famine,  harassed  by  des- 
perate fighting  with  hostile  natives,  with  indomitable  courage  and 
endurance  he  made  his  way  through  the  five  or  six  thousand  miles 
of  the  river's  course,  and  his  year's  work  was  complete; — a  high- 
way was  opened  through  a  continent, —  a  highway  for  commerce, 
for  civilization,  for  Christianity  !  Another  has  said,  "  Imagine  the 
whole  descent  of  Niagara  and  the  rapids  below  down  to  Lake 
Ontario,  to  be  doubled,  and  spread  through  a  space  of  two  hundred 


13 

miles ;  then  pile  the  rocky  cliffs  on  each  side  to  a  height  of  two 
thousand  feet,  instead  of  two  or  three  hundred,  and  through  this 
gorge  pour  a  river  with  three  times  the  volume  of  the  Mississippi. 
Now  place  two  white  men,  with  more  than  a  hundred  Africans  under 
them,  all  utterly  ignorant  of  what  lay  before  them,  in  half  a  dozen 
rude  canoes,  and  bid  them  make  their  way  down  this  gorge,  over  its 
rapids,  and  around  its  three  score  cataracts.  This  is  what  STANLEY 
undertook  to  do,  and  did." 

OUR    SCIENTIFIC    OPPORTUNITIES. 

Thus,  my  friends,  have  we  briefly  considered  subjects  which 
seemed  especially  appropriate  to  this  occasion.  Justice,  however, 
would  not  be  done,  either  to  you  or  to  the  Academy,  did  I  not  at 
this  time,  in  addition  to  a  record  of  work  accomplished,  and  a 
sketch  of  the  possibilities  dawning  upon  us  in  the  realm  of  scien- 
tific investigation,  indicate  vital  relations  which  this  institution 
bears  to  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  Every  individual  who  apprehends 
the  value  of  scientific  truths,  sustains  responsibilities  to  the  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences.  It  may  seem  superfluous,  at  this  day,  to 
array  arguments  to  prove  the  advantages  of  scientific  pursuits  ;  and 
yet,  the  comparatively  recent  introduction  of  science  as  a  prominent 
element  in  education  may  justify  its  consideration.  Foundations 
have  been  laid  in  this  Academy,  at  the  cost  of  years  of  effort  and 
self-denial,  whose  benefits,  resultant  to  us  and  to  our  children,  every 
consideration  proves  to  be  of  value. 

I  might  speak,  recalling  to  your  minds  the  pressure  upon  brain 
and  muscle  in  this  over-driven  city,  of  the  health-giving,  recreative 
power  of  scientific  pursuits ;  while  to  the  necessity  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  such  an  element  into  the  business  and  professional  life  of 
Chicago,  our  medical  friends  would  bear  united  testimony.  Espec- 
ially in  the  natural  history  department  of  science  is  this  true,  where 
the  study  of  the  habits  of  animal  life  and  the  collecting  of  specimens 
are  conducted  in  the  free  air  and  sunshine.  And  here  let  me  speak 
of  the  favorable  location  of  Chicago  for  the  prosecution  of  such  a 
taste ;  for,  unpromising  as  our  environs  may  appear  to  the  ordinary 
observer,  the  region  around  us  furnishes  one  of  the  richest  fields  in 
our  land  for  the  collection  of  specimens  of  natural  history.  Allow 
me  to  specify  a  moment. 


14 

In  Icthyology,  we  have  at  hand  not  only  the  fish  of  our  great 
inland  seas,  but  the  different  varieties  of  the  streams  which  flow  into 
the  gulf  of  Mexico. 

In  Botany,  the  extensive  herbarium  of  the  Academy,  destroyed 
in  the  great  fire,  the  life  work  of  Dr.  SCAMMON,  and  also  the  collec- 
tions of  our  first  Vice-President,  Professor  BABCOCK,  bear  testimony 
to  the  exuberant  flora  of  prairie  and  forest  about  us. 

In  Ornithology,  in  addition  to  the  well  known  proximity  of  the 
migratory  lines  of  the  vast  flocks  of  waterfowl,  as  they  pass  to  and 
fro  between  their  northern  and  their  tropical  homes,  it  may  not  be 
generally  known  that  we  are  located  near  the  base  of  the  triangular 
forest  area,  extending  from  the  southern  line  of  our  lake  basin  to  a 
point  seventy  or  eighty  miles  to  the  north,  which  has  furnished 
some  of  the  rarest  specimens  in  this  department  found  in  our  zone. 
Indeed  the  birds  of  the  arctic  and  tropical  regions  here  meet.  I 
learn  from  our  Secretary  that  the  opportunities  for  collecting  speci- 
mens of  Insect  Life  about  our  lake  are  equally  good. 

THE    ACADEMY   AN    EDUCATOR. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  our  Academy  is  an  educational 
institution,  in  full  sympathy  with  the  schools  and  colleges  about  us, 
and  ever  ready  to  aid  in  any  investigations,  or  to  distribute  speci- 
mens from  our  own  collections.  Did  time  permit,  it  would  be  stim- 
ulating to  effort  to  speak  of  many  who  are  now  valuable  contributors 
to  scientific  knowledge  who  received  their  first  impulse  or  guidance 
within  its  walls.  Our  primary  object  is  to  encourage  thorough 
scientific  study.  The  Museum  of  mounted  specimens  delights  the 
popular  eye,  but  this  is  not  its  chief  value.  Taken  in  connection 
with  the  specimens  unmounted  and  concealed  from  view,  and  the 
Library,  it  furnishes  to  the  student  all  appliances  necessary  for 
accurate  investigation.  And  it  is  this  close  observation  and  careful 
comparison  which  is  giving  to  the  study  of  natural  science  its  right- 
ful place  as  a  means  of  mental  discipline.  My  friends,  would  not 
this  thorough  study,  were  it  the  rule  rather  than,  as  oftentimes,  the 
exception,  develop  the  unity  and  harmony  between  all  departments 
of  truth  ?  Should  we  not  hear  less  of  the  antagonism  between 
science  and  revealed  religion,  did  the  defenders  of  each  thoroughly 
investigate  and  fully  comprehend  the  related  truths  ? 


15 

Does  not  this  practical  line  of  thought  quite  naturally  conduct 
us  to  the  influence  upon  character  of  scientific  pursuits  ?  I  need 
not  dwell,  in  such  a  gathering  as  this,  upon  the  need  there  is  in  our 
community  of  influences,  elevating,  controlling,  permanent.  The 
very  faces  one  meets  in  the  busy  thoroughfares  tell  of  the  want  01 
that  food  for  thought  without  which  all  true  culture  is  unattainable. 
There  is  an  uplifting  power  in  identifying  ourself  with  a  great 
cause ;  there  is  a  transforming  power  in  association  with  men 
engaged  in  a  noble  pursuit.  To  many  of  us,  in  our  busy  lives,  this 
is  all  of  science  we  can  compass  ;  but  from  such  practical  sympathy 
and  intercourse  with  men  of  science — and  we  have  found  them  in 
this  Academy — there  comes  a  reflex  influence  of  deepest  value.  In 
the  study  of  nature  we  are  brought  near  to  the  God  of  nature, — to 
eternal  verities  ;  and  in  such  presence,  shams,  pretence,  policy,  hide 
themselves,  and  character  tends  to  what  is  simple  and  true.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  river  flowing  over  a  broad  and  shallow  bed,  useless, 
with  all  its  wealth  of  waters  ?  Have  you  seen  the  same  stream 
when  engineering  skill  had,  with  granite  walls,  arrested  the  current 
and  guided  it  into  a  deep,  quiet  channel,  ready  to  turn  the  wheels 
of  the  factory  or  float  the  wealth  of  commerce  ?  Thus,  in  our  lives 
is  needed  a  power  that  shall  arrest  the  tide  of  frivolity  and  turn 
life's  energies  to  noble  ends. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  field  upon  which  the  influence  of  science 
bears  more  directly  than  that  of  invention.  The  history  of  civiliza- 
tion, since  the  revival  in  the  fifteenth  century,  abundantly  corrobo- 
rates this  statement.  I  am  aware  that  some  of  the  most  noted 
discoveries  and  inventions  have  been  attributed  to  circumstances 
purely  accidental.  The  swinging  of  a  cathedral  lamp,  it  is  affirmed, 
suggested  to  GALILEO  the  laws  controlling  the  movements  of  the 
spheres ;  the  falling  of  an  apple,  to  NEWTON,  the  law  of  gravita- 
tion ;  and  the  accidental  juxtaposition  of  spectacle-lenses,  to  the 
Dutch  spectacle-maker,  the  telescope.  But  these  incidents  were  the 
occasion  and  in  no  sense  the  cause  of  these  discoveries.  They 
revealed  the  men  to  themselves;  made  objective  what  had  before 
been  subjective.  It  was  previous  profound  thought  and  study 
which  gave  to  these  trifling  incidents  their  deep  significance.  Ab- 
stract thought  must  precede  the  most  valuable  practical  results. 
The  simplest  movements,  and  processes,  and  machines,  have  re- 


16 

quired  long  and  patient  study  of  nature's  hidden  laws  to  bring 
them  to  their  present  state  of  perfection  and  usefulness.  We  may 
consider  each  new  discovery,  even  the  most  trifling,  important  in  its 
relations.  It  opens  the  way  for  another,  and  so,  on  and  on  ;  each 
point  gained,  a  stepping-stone  to  a  higher  point  beyond.  It  is  need- 
less to  trace  further  the  intimate  necessary  connection  between  sci- 
entific training  and  these  practical  applications  of  the  forces  of 
nature. 

THE   VALUE    OF    SCIENCE   TO    CHICAGO. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  add  a  few  thoughts  upon  the  economic 
relations  which  science  holds  to  our  city,  and,  indeed,  to  the  country 
upon  which  we  are  dependent.  Until  within  a  few  years,  Agricul- 
tural Chemistry,  widely  adopted  in  the  older  States,  was  practically 
unknown  here.  Our  western  soil  gave  no  indications  of  the  need 
of  replacing  those  elements  withdrawn  by  our  abundant  harvests. 
Now  the  discussions  of  the  Farmers'  Clubs  throughout  the  North- 
west, indicate  the  vital  importance  of  the  intelligent  application  of 
scientific  principles  to  farming  in  all  its  different  branches. 

Arboriculture,  in  its  climatic  relations ;  Insect  Study,  with  its 
vast  results,  beneficial  beyond  computation,  are  illustrations  of  the 
scope  of  our  subject,  which  I  can  only  enumerate.  A  similar  pro- 
gress is  observed  if  we  look  at  the  mechanical  and  manufacturing 
interests  of  our  city,  as  developed  within  a  few  years ;  and  here,  did 
time  permit,  could  be  found  proof  abundant  and  conclusive  of  the 
necessity  of  uniting  science  with  these  pursuits,  if  we  would  suc- 
cessfully compete  with  the  skilled  work  of  other  localities.  Personal 
identification  with  these  interests  would  lead  me,  were  it  possible, 
to  develop  more  fully  this  branch  of  the  subject ;  I  can  barely 
allude,  however,  to  what  has  doubtless  already  suggested  itself  to 
you.  Take  away  from  our  city  its  producing  and  manufacturing 
interests  in  iron,  steel,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  leather,  glass,  oils,  chem- 
icals, etc.,  and  you  rob  her  of  a  chief  element  of  her  present  and 
prospective  power. 

I  have  thus,  my  friends,  endeavored  to  place  before  you,  though 
imperfectly,  some  of  the  claims  which  our  Academy  of  Sciences  has 
upon  you.  You  know  its  history ;  you  know  something  of  its 
work, —  unselfish  work,  accomplished  during  the  twenty  years  of  its 
existence,  for  this  city,  this  State  —  yes,  the  whole  Northwest.  I 


17 

do  not  need  to  interpret  the  figures  presented  this  evening  by  our 
Treasurer ;  they  speak  a  language  unmistakable.  The  Academy  is 
in  pressing  want  of  what  this  city  can  give.  There  are  those  among 
us  who  need  return  but  a  tithe  of  the  wealth  which  Chicago  has 
given  them,  to  place  the  institution  upon  a  basis  strong  and  endur- 
ing. There  is  no  monument  one  can  raise  to  perpetuate  his  mem- 
ory, so  enduring,  so  honorable,  so  beneficent,  as  connection  with 
such  an  organization.  You  need  not  journey  to  the  distant  cem- 
etery to  find  his  name  upon  an  isolated  shaft,  you  find  it  here — 
in  a  Building,  Library,  Museum,  Lectureships  —  perennial  sources 
of  intellectual  cultivation  and  power,  which  will  cause  it  to  be 
spoken  with  reverence  and  affection,  as  the  years  roll  on. 


IN    MEMORIAM. 

Fellow  Members  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences : 

In  closing  an  official  connection  to  which  your  partiality  has  a 
second  time  called  me,  allow  me  to  give  a  few  moments  to  the  mem- 
ory of  those  gone  from  us ;  whose  feet  tread  no  more  these  mortal 
paths,  but  whose  power  is  present  to-day,  and  will  remain  a  perpet- 
ual legacy. 

First  would  I  recall  him  whose  face  looks  down  upon  us  from 
yonder  wall ;  whose  youthful  enthusiasm  furnished  the  inspiration 
of  the  earliest  efforts  for  the  Academy,  and  who,  at  last,  in  distant 
Arctic  regions  sacrificed  his  life,  a  martyr  to  science — ROBERT 
KENNICOTT.  There  are  some  here,  and  among  them  one  whose 
means,  generously  supplied,  rendered  it  a  success,  who  have  not 
forgotten  that  first  Arctic  American  Expedition.  Novel  in  its  in- 
ception, and  in  the  mode  in  which  it  was  conducted,  through  his  in- 
domitable energy  did  KENNICOTT  secure  to  the  Smithsonian  and  our 
own  Academy,  for  the  first  time,  a  fair  representation  of  the  fauna  of 
the  lower  Arctic  latitudes.  We  well  remember,  too,  the  second  expe- 
dition, in  the  spring  of  1865,  undertaken  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  to  Northwest  America,  into 
which,  in  spite  of  delays  and  complications,  unwrorthy  opposition 
and  disappointments,  he  threw  himself  with  all  his  wonted  ardor, 


18 

and  found  —  a  grave  !  Though  he  died  at  thirty,  the  halls  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  and  his  brief  publications,  bear  testimony 
to  the  value  to  science  of  the  life  of  ROBERT  KENNICOTT. 

His  successor,  WILLIAM  STIMPSON,  whose  portrait  is  before  you, 
came  to  us  in  his  early  manhood,  already  a  ripe  scholar ;  and  for 
seven  years,  from  1865  to  1872,  was  our  honored  Secretary.  With 
educational  advantages  of  the  highest  order,  with  rare  facilities  for 
securing  a  practical  as  well  as  theoretical  acquaintance  with  nature, 
and  with  ability  and  perseverance  to  improve  every  opportunity,  he 
early  won  that  world-wide  reputation,  which,  on  his  coming  among 
us,  at  once  gave  our  Academy  an  honorable  position  among  kindred 
organizations  at  home  and  abroad.  The  insatiable  demon  of  Fire, 
on  that  fatal  October  night,  compelled  no  more  precious  sacrifice 
than  the  broken  heart  of  STIMPSON.  His  life-work, —  the  beautiful 
drawings  and  manuscripts  of  an  extensive  treatise  on  Mollusks, 
which  for  a  generation  would  have  been  of  universal  authority,  lay 
in  ashes ;  and  with  failing  health  there  was  not  courage  to  begin 
again.  A  cruise  in  the  Gulf,  and  the  constant  ministrations  of 
friends,  failed  to  restore ;  and  he  returned  to  wife  and  children  but 
to  die.  The  Academy  and  this  city  lost,  in  STIMPSON,  not  only  the 
accomplished  scientist,  but  also  one  who  inspired  in  others  the  same 
zeal  which  animated  his  own  life.  Of  the  close  intimacy  of  his 
friendships,  I  may  not  trust  myself  to  speak. 

To  Col.  JOHN  W.  FOSTER,  LL.D.,  President  of  the  Academy 
during  the  three  years  from  1870  to  1872,  I  will  only  allude.  The 
worthy  memorials  of  his  life,  presented  in  this  room  a  few  weeks 
since,  are  fresh  in  your  remembrance,  and  I  could  add  nothing  to 
their  weight.  I  would  call  your  attention  to  the  noble  likeness  we 
have  of  him  in  marble,  a  recent  gift  to  the  Academy. 

But,  my  friends,  this  hour  of  reminiscence  would  be  incomplete 
did  I  not  go  further  back  than  the  present  incorporation  of  this 
Academy,  to  the  organization  which  preceded  it,  and  to  which  we 
owe  more  than  appears  upon  the  pages  of  our  records.  Many  pres- 
ent this  evening  will  remember  the  genial  face  of  one  who,  twenty 
years  ago,  was  elected  its  first  President — JAMES  VAN  ZANDT  BLA- 
NEY.  Occupying  the  chair  of  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Rush 
Medical  College,  and  conducting  business  also  as  an  analytical 
chemist,  in  which  department  he  was  authority,  he  was  yet  ever 


19 

prominent  in  forwarding  the  interests  of  the  Academy.  Up  to  the 
time  of  his  last  illness,  his  was  a  well-known  voice  among  us,  giving 
valuable  information  on  an  unusual  range  of  topics,  and  often  the 
deeply  interesting  results  of  his  own  delicate  experiments. 

We  are  also  reminded  this  evening  of  Dr.  FRANKLIN  SCAMMON? 
for  two  years  President  of  the  Academy.  Retiring  from  active 
business  in  1852,  he  devoted  his  time  principally  to  botanical 
studies ;  and  before  his  decease,  which  occurred  in  1864,  he  trans- 
ferred to  the  Academy  his  large  and  valuable  herbarium,  which 
probably  had  no  rival  as  a  complete  collection  of  the  flora  of  the 
lake  basin  and  the  prairies.  Quiet,  unobtrusive  in  his  manners,  his 
voice  seldom  heard  in  our  meetings,  except  on  his  favorite  theme,, 
his  life  work  was  not  lost.  He  increased  the  domain  of  knowledge ; 
he  inspired  many  in  the  walks  of  science ;  and  in  the  transactions 
of  kindred  societies,  at  home  and  abroad,  his  name  holds  an  hon- 
ored place. 

One  other  name  would  I  mention  in  this  memorial  list — Presi- 
dent of  the  Academy  for  three  years,  from  1858  to  1861--JOSEPH 
DANA  WEBSTER.  A  few  present  will  recall  General  WEBSTER 
when,  over  thirty  years  ago,  fresh  from  Dartmouth  and  West  Point, 
and  his  early  successes  as  Lieutenant  of  Topographical  Engineers, 
he  first  made  his  home  in  our  young  city.  With  what  was  true  in 
science  and  art  and  literature,  in  those  early  days,  he  was  promi- 
nently identified.  With  others,  he  united,  in  1857,  in  organizing 
the  first  Academy  of  Sciences,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Vice-Pres- 
ident.  He  ever  lent  to  it  his  cordial  support;  and  found,  in  con- 
nection with  it,  opportunities  for  intellectual  culture  and  grateful 
recreation.  His  thorough  scientific  training  was  displayed  in  what 
was  accomplished  by  him  as  President  of  our  first  Board  of  Public 
Works.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  late  war  he  volunteered  his  servi- 
ces to  his  country;  and  his  record,  honorable  alike  to  himself,  hi& 
city,  his  state,  is  known  to  all.  When,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
again  returned  to  his  home,  it  was  to  accept  oflices  in  our  city,  the 
highest  trusts  in  the  gift  of  the  government ;  and  amid  all  the  plot- 
tings  and  briberies  and  intrigues  of  those  trying  days,  he  pursued 
his  even  course,  while  never  a  breath  of  calumny  tarnished  his  fair 
name.  In  March,  1876,  General  WEBSTER  passed  away — our  Cheva- 
lier BAYARD  —  "A  knight  without  fear  and  without  reproach." 


20 


FINANCIAL  REPORT. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES,  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES, 

January  21,  1878. 
E.  W.  BLATCHFORD, 

President  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences : 

The  Board  of  Trustees  have  directed  the  following  report  to  be 
made,  for  the  past  year : 

RECEIPTS. 

Cash  on  hand  January  1,  1877,  $  399  24 

Received  from  rents  of  store,  4,595  00 

from  initiation  fees,                -  60  00 

for  annual  dues  for  1877,  190  00 

"    previous  years,  60  00 

from  annual  subscribers,  -  270  00 

on  subscription  notes,  -      1,350  00 

for  interest  on  same,  125  10 

for  cost  of  gas,  etc.,  in  library,  for  meetings,  15  00 


Total  receipts,  $7,064  34 

EXPENDITURES. 

Paid  Dr.  J.  W.  Velie,  -    $1,325  00 

''    Janitors,  -             288  00 

"    Freight,  102  79 

"    Materials  for  taxidermy,  79  29 

Coal, 69  50 


Printing  and  stationery,  104  10 

Sundries,  postage,  gas,  etc.,  189  44 

Water  rent,  two  years,  -  44  48 

Taxes,  574  90 

Insurance  on  buildings,  369  91 

"   specimens  and  fixtures,  -  111  09 

u    Interest,  3,661  26 

Balance, 144  58 


Total,      -  $7,064  34 

Respectfully  submitted, 

GEO.  C.  WALKER, 

Sec.  of  Board  of  Trustees. 


21 


REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY. 


ROOMS  OF  THE  ACADEMY, 
E.  W.  BLATCHFORD,  Jan.  22,  1878. 

President  of  the  Academy  : 

Dear  Sir — I  have  the  honor  to  present  the  accompanying  report 
upon  the  Library  and  the  Museum,  for  the  year  just  closed. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

S.  H.  PEABODY,  Secretary. 


THE  LIBRARY; 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

While  the  ashes  were  yet  white  upon  the  embers  of  the  Academy, 
Dr.  STIMPSON  addressed  a  circular  to  kindred  societies  in  Europe 
and  in  America,  detailing  the  extent  of  our  calamity,  and  inviting 
sympathy  and  help.  The  responses  were  immediate  and  hearty. 
Societies  abroad,  which  had  before  exchanged  only  their  current 
publications,  opened  their  reserved  stores  and  sent  entire  series, 
dating  as  far  back  as  their  issues  were  yet  in  print.  In  many  in- 
stances the  gifts  were  accompanied  by  letters  of  condolence  and  of 
encouragement,  expressed  in  the  kindest  terms.  Societies  at  home 
were  equally  cordial  and  generous  in  the  assistance  which  they  lent 
to  the  restoration  of  our  library  and  museum.  With  few  exceptions, 
the  correspondents  of  the  Academy  have  continued  to  forward  their 
publications,  to  the  present  time.  Their  forbearance  in  keeping  its 
name  upon  their  exchange  lists,  while  it  has  made  no  response, 


22 

demands  the  liveliest  gratitude  on  its  part.  The  Academy  has 
incurred,  in  the  reception  of  these  gifts,  a  large  indebtedness  —  a 
debt  of  honor,  to  which  it  is  keenly  sensitive,  and  which  it  must 
begin  to  pay  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

Before  Dr.  STIMPSON'S  circular  had  elicited  many  replies  he  was 
called  to  his  rest.  Members  were  engrossed  in  the  arduous  struggle 
of  rebuilding  —  not  merely  the  Academy,  but  the  city  and  their  for- 
tunes. It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  first  part  of  the 
second  volume  of  the  Transactions  was  in  the  hands  of  the  binder 
at  the  time  of  the  fire.  Publication  was  suspended  ;  at  first,  during 
the  rebuilding ;  as  the  event  proved,  for  years.  The  long  vacancy 
in  the  office  of  Secretary,  prevented  even  the  proper  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  donations  received.  When  the  present  incumbent 
entered  upon  his  duties,  in  November,  1876,  he  deemed  attention 
to  this  defect  a  duty  of  paramount  importance.  The  matter  which 
had  accumulated  was  assorted  and  collated ;  lists  were  made  of  that 
from  the  several  sources,  and  letters  of  acknowledgment  and  apol- 
ogy were  transmitted  to 

Societies,  American 32 

Individuals,      " 28 

Societies,  Foreign no 

Individuals,     "       7 

Total  correspondents 177 

This  work  gave  opportunity  for  temporary  arrangement  of  the 
foreign  publications  in  the  convenient  and  spacious '  case  loaned  by 
the  President  and  now  in  the  office. 

Some  outlay  should  be  made  for  binding  and  for  pamphlet  cases, 
to  make  these  exceedingly  valuable  documents  conveniently  access- 
ible. Still,  every  paper,  pamphlet  or  volume  in  the  possession  of 
the  Academy  is  in  a  definite  place,  whence  it  can  be  quickly  pro- 
duced on  demand. 

CATALOGUES. 

The  bound  volumes  have  been  entered  in  the  Catalogue  of  Acces- 
sions. Parallel  with  these  entries  a  card  index  has  been  written  up. 
In  it,  references  are  made  in  the  usual  manner,  not  merely  to  the 
volumes  on  the  shelves,  but  to  each  paper  of  scientific  interest,  as  if 
forming  a  volume  by  itself.  Work  upon  these  catalogues  was  sus- 


23 

pended  in  midsummer,  on  account  of  the  preparation  of  museum 
material  for  the  Industrial  Exposition.  It  will  soon  be  resumed, 
and  continued  as  fast  as  circumstances  will  permit.  In  this  way 
the  wealth  of  our  Library,  in  some  departments  greater  than  before 
the  fire,  will  be  brought  within  reach  of  members  and  others  who 
may  desire  to  consult  it. 

The  number  of  books  will  be  exactly  known  when  the  Catalogue 
of  Accessions  is  complete.  At  present  we  must  be  content  with  the 
following  approximations : 

Volumes,  bound 800 

"    unbound 900 

-  i,7oo 
Pamphlets 1,000 

BUST    OF   COL.   FOSTER. 

At  the  first  regular  meeting  of  the  current  season,  in  October, 
1877,  the  Library  was  graced  by  the  reception,  with  appropriate 
memorial  services,  of  the  bust  of  Col.  JOHN  W.  FOSTER,  LL.D., 
late  President  of  the  Academy.  It  is  the  work  of  our  Chicago 
sculptor,  LEONARD  W.  VOLK.  As  a  portrait,  it  is  true ;  as  a  work 
of  art,  superb.  The  expense  of  the  work  has  been  defrayed  by  a 
subscription,  the  chief  donors  being  the  artist  and  the  late  Col. 
SAMUEL  STONE,  a  life-member  of  the  Academy.  A  worthy  memo- 
rial of  a  worthy  man,  its  presence  honors  the  givers,  the  artist,  the 
subject,  and  the  Academy. 


ACCESSIONS. 

The  Library  has  received  additions  during  the  past  year  from 
the  following  sources : 

FOREIGN. 

The  Royal  Society,  of  London. 

The  Royal  Society,  of  New  South  Wales. 

The  Public  Library,  of  Melbourne,  Australia. 

The  Cobden  Club. 

The  Meteorological  Office,  of  Toronto. 

The  Entomological  Society,  of  Ontario. 

The  Royal  Academy  of  Mauritius. 

The  University  of  Christiania,  Norway. 


24 

The  Royal  Danish  Society  of  Science,  at  Copenhagen. 

The  Royal  Academy  of  Science,  at  Amsterdam. 

The  Society  of  Sciences,  of  Holland,  at  Harlem. 

The  Imperial  Society  of  Naturalists,  of  Moscow. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  of  Bamberg. 

The  National  History  Association,  at  Bremen. 

The  Silesian  Society  of  National  Culture,  at  Breslau. 

The  Natural  History  Association,  at  Brimn. 

The  Natural  History  Society  "  Isis,"  at  Dresden. 

The  African  Society,  at  Dresden. 

The  Physico-Medical  Society,  at  Dresden. 

The  Royal  Academy  of  Leopold  Charles,  at  Dresden. 

The  Geological  Society,  at  Dresden. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  at  Danzig. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  at  Emden. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main. 

The  New  Society  of  Natural  Science,  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main. 

The  Royal  Society  of  Natural  Science,  at  Gottingen. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  at  Halle. 

The  Natural  History  Association,  at  Hamburg. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  of  Schleswig  Holstein,  at  Kiel. 

The  Physico-econ6mical  Society,  at  Konigsberg. 

The  Royal  Saxon  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  Leipzig. 

The  Association  of  Geologists,  at  Leipzig. 

The  Natural  History  Association,  at  Luneburg. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  of  Mechlenburg. 

The  Royal  Bavarian  Academy,  at  Munich. 

The  Royal  Hungarian  Society  of  Natural  Science,  at  Pesth. 

The  Royal  Observatory,  at  Prague. 

The  Royal  Bavarian  Botanical  Society,  at  Regensburg. 

The  Zoological-mineralogical  Society,  at  Regensburg. 

The  Zeitschrift  for  Entomology,  at  Stettin. 

The  Imperial  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  at  Vienna. 

The  Imperial  Geological  Academy,  at  Vienna. 

The  Physico-medical  Society,  at  Wurzburg. 

The  Royal  Academy  of  the  "  Lynx,"  at  Rome. 

The  Royal  Lombardic  Institute,  at  Milan. 

The  Tuscan  Society,  at  Pisa. 

The  Adriatic  Society,  at  Trieste. 

The  Royal  Observatory,  at  Madrid. 

The  National  Museum,  at  Mexico. 

The  Natural  History  Society  of  Neuchatel,  at  Zurich. 

The  Society  Vaudoise  of  Natural  Sciences,  at  Lausanne. 

The  Natural  History  Society,  at  Bordeaux. 

The  Linnean  Society,  at  Bordeaux. 

The  Society  of  Natural  History,  at  Cherbourg. 

The  Society  of  Natural  History,  at  Toulouse. 

The  Society  of  Historical  and  Natural  Sciences  of  the  Yonne,  at  Auxerre. 


25 


The  Belgian  Entomological  Society,  at  Brussels. 
The  Belgian  Conchological  Society,  at  Brussels. 
Dr.  Alexis  S.  Ulrich,  Bremen. 
Dr.  Frederic  Roemer. 

M. Melsens,  Brussels. 

Dr.  Ferdinand  von  Miiller,  Australia. 
Count  Leopold  Hugo,  Paris. 
Prof.  P.  F.  Reinsch,  Erlangen. 
Sr.  Joaquin  Manuel  de  Macedo. 
Henri  de  Saussure,  Geneva. 
H.  N.  Moseley. 

AMERICAN. 

The  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 

The  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 

The  Peabody  Museum  of  Archaeology  and  Ethnology. 

The  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology. 

The  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

The  Boston  Natural  History  Society. 

The  Essex  Institute. 

The  Buffalo  Academy  of  Sciences. 

The  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences. 

The  Torrey  Botanical  Club. 

The  Natural  History  Society  of  Wisconsin,  at  Milwaukee. 

The  Smithsonian  Institution. 

The  Zoological  Garden,  at  Philadelphia. 

The  American  Philosophical  Society. 

The  Illinois  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

The  Ann  Arbor  Scientific  Association. 

The  Illinois  State  Microscopical  Society. 

The  Wisconsin  Academy  of  Sciences,  Arts  and  Letters. 

The  Cincinnati  Observatory. 

The  Peabody  Institute,  at  Baltimore. 

Silliman's  Journal  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 

The  Canadian  Naturalist. 

The  Canadian  Entomologist. 

The  Science  Observer. 

The  Gas-light  Journal. 

The  American  Book-seller. 

The  Pharmacist. 

The  Prairie  Farmer. 

The  Standard. 

The  Geological  Survey  of  Ohio, 

The  Geological  Survey  of  Minnesota. 

The  Geological  Survey  of  Wisconsin. 

The  Geological  Survey  of  Michigan. 

The  Geological  Survey  of  New  Hampshire. 


26 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  by  F.  V.  Hayden. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  by  Clarence  King. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  by  J.  W.  Powell. 

The  U.  S.  Naval  Observatory. 

The  Bureau  of  Navigation. 

The  Coast  Survey  Office. 

The  Commissioner  of  Education. 

The  Library  of  Congress. 

The  National  Museum. 

The  Patent  Office. 

The  U.  S.  Fish  Commissioners. 

The  Department  of  the  Treasury. 

The  Department  of  the  Interior. 

The  Department  of  War. 

Col.  S.  B.  Lowe,  Chattanooga. 

Dr.  C.  W.  Hempstead. 

Prof.  E.  D.  Cope,  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Woodbridge,  Washington. 

S.  H.  Scudder,  Cambridge. 

Jno.  M.  Woodworth,  M.  D.,  Washington. 

Rev.  S.  D.  Peet,  Ashtabula. 

E.  W.  Nelson,  St.  Michaels,  Alaska. 

Lt.  A.  W.  Vogdes,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Francis  A.  Holmes,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Prof.  O.  C.  Marsh,  New  Haven. 

Jas.  W.  Milner,  Baltimore,  Md. 

E.  W.  Blatchford. 

S.  W.  Burnham. 

S.  S.  Bliss. 

W.  W.  Calkins. 

R.  Blanchard. 

S.  H.  Peabody. 

Prof.  C.  Gilbert  Wheeler. 

Hon.  Thos.  Hoyne. 

RECAPITULATION. 

From  Foreign  Sources,  Quartos,  n  Octavos,  108          Pamphlets,     72 

From  American  Sources,          .  "         22  "          52  "  116 

Totals,  33  1 60  188 


27 


THE    MUSEUM. 


COLLECTIONS. 

Shortly  after  the  opening  of  the  year  just  passed,  Dr.  J.  W. 
VELIE  left  for  Florida,  to  collect  for  the  Academy.  He  was  absent 
from  the  20th  day  of  January  to  the  25th  of  May,  during  which 
time  he  scoured  the  western  coast  of  Florida,  from  Cedar  Keys  to 
Key  West,  meeting  with  very  marked  success,  sending  and  bring- 
ing home  a  rich  harvest  of  valuable  specimens.  The  labor  con- 
nected with  such  collecting  is  no  holiday  amusement ;  the  toil  is 
arduous,  the  exposure  severe,  and  the  expense  considerable — in 
this  instance  borne  largely  by  Dr.  VELIE  himself.  Particular  credit 
is  due  him,  and  was  recognized  by  resolution  of  the  Academy,  for 
the  patience,  zeal,  skill  and  success  which  rendered  this  expedition 
notable. 

The  proceeds  were : 

Mammals 3  species. 

Cetacea 2 

Birds 24 

Eggs 12 

Fishes 21 

Turtles 4 

Reptiles 8 

Crustaceans 12 

Insects 15 

Echini 5 

Mollusca 130  some  in  large  quantities. 

Star  Fishes 5 

Corals  and  Gorgonias 12 

Sponges 6 

Archaeological  and  Ethnological 4 


Total 263 


28 

This  is  an-  under  estimate,  as  much  of  the  material  is  in  alcoholr 
and  circumstances  have  prevented  its  full  identification. 

Since  Dr.  VELIE'S  return,  he  has  mounted  and  placed  in  the 
Museum  all  the  fishes,  including  the  Ceratopterus  Vampirus  or 
Devil-fish,  a  large  and  an  infant  porpoise,  a  large  female  saw-fish 
and  a  Jew-fish;  also,  two  large  turtles,  a  fine  rattlesnake,  and 
many  other  specimens  of  minor  importance. 

While  Dr.  VELIE  was  absent,  Mr.  W.  W.  CALKINS  spent  about 
two  months  in  Florida,  devoting  his  time  chiefly  to  scientific  obser- 
vation and  to  collection.  He  returned  to  the  Academy,  bringing  a 
large  amount  of  valuable  material,  chiefly  from  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Augustine. 

THE    EXPOSITION. 

v  In  midsummer,  after  some  discussion,  it  was  determined  by  the 
Executive  Committee  that  the  Academy  should  once  more  exhibit 
selections  from  its  Museum  at  the  Inter-State  Industrial  Exposition. 
For  this  purpose  Dr.  VELIE  hastened  to  finish  the  fish  which  had 
been  brought  from  the  Gulf — one  of  which,  the  Devil-fish,  was 
admitted  to  be  one  of  the  most  attractive  objects  in  the  entire  dis- 
play of  the  exposition.  Advantage  was  taken  of  this  occasion  to 
arrange  and  label  all  the  conchological  collection  of  the  Academy, 
found  to  number  about  1,100  species. 

The  Academy  placed  on  view  at  this  time: 

5  cases  of  Shells  and  Star-fish. 

i     "      of  Reptiles. 

i      "      of  Mammals. 

3     "      of  Birds. 

i     <:      of  Corals,  Gorgonias  and  Sponges. 

I  case  and  three  large  pyramids  of  Fishes. 

This  display  was  supplemented  by  the  collections  of  members  of 
the  Academy,  including, 

i  case  of  Eggs  and  a  very  beautiful  Albino  Deer,  from  Dr.  VELIE. 

4  cases  of  Mound-Builders'  Pottery  and  Implements,  from  H.  N.  RUST,  Esq. 

9  cases  of  Insects,  from  the  Secretary. 

From  these  sources  came  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  entire 
exhibit  in  the  Department  of  Natural  History.  That  this  depart- 


29 

merit  was  inferior  to  none  in  interest  and  instruction,  the  officers  of 
the  Exposition  most  cheerfully  admit. 

While  other  specimens  were  absent,  opportunity  was  taken  to 
repair  and  refit  the  case  containing  the  KENT  collection  of  birds, 
now  in  the  best  order. 

CASTS. 

During  the  summer  it  was  determined  that  the  Academy  should 
fulfill  its  contract  with  Prof.  H.  A.  WARD,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  by 
returning  to  him  from  the  collection  of  casts  in  its  possession  enough 
to  liquidate  the  debt  remaining  upon  them.  With  the  kind  assist- 
ance of  Dr.  ANDREWS,  and  the  approval  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee, casts  were  selected  for  this  purpose.  They  were  carefully  packed 
by  Dr.  VELIE,  and  have  been  received  by  Prof.  WARD.  Although 
the  majority  of  the  pieces  were  sent  away,  the  most  instructive 
remain.  Some  of  those  dismissed  might  have  been  kept  with  profit, 
while  others  would  hardly  pay  for  the  space  which  they  would 
occupy. 

ARRANGEMENT. 

Much  labor  has  been  expended  upon  the  collections,  to  make  them 
more  valuable  to  visitors  and  students,  by  the  labeling  of  the  shells 
already  referred  to,  and  by  the  labeling  and  arrangement  of  the 
eggs,  minerals  and  fossils — the  latter  being  placed  stratigraphically, 
as  far  as  possible.  Most  of  the  birds,  fishes  and  mammals  are  also 
labeled  ;  and  this  work  should  be  continued,  until  everything  placed 
on  view  shall  give  a  succinct  account  of  itself — shall  present  to  the 
visitor  its  own  card  of  introduction. 

The  immediate  wants  of  the  Museum  are, 

1.  Suitable  cases  for  compact  display  of  the  shells. 

2.  Glassware,  for  the  distribution  and  display  of  specimens  in 
alcohol. 

With  these  it  will  be  possible  to  place  before  the  visitor  nearly 
everything  which  the  Academy  now  owns.  Its  stock  of  exchange- 
able material  might  soon  procure  very  considerable  accessions,  which 
would  demand  yet  more  room. 


30 


MUSEUM    CATALOGUE. 

A  task  of  much  labor  and  of  great  importance  yet  remains  to  be 
performed  upon  the  collection.  Every  specimen  should  be  marked 
in  some  legible  and  indelible  way,  with  ink  or  paint,  or  even  with 
the  point  of  a  diamond.  It  should  bear  a  number  peculiar  to  itself, 
or  not  found  on  any  other  specimen  of  its  own  class.  This  number 
should  refer  to  an  entry  in  a  Catalogue  of  Accessions,  where  all  facts 
of  name,  collection,  donation  and  value  should  be  on  record.  Then  it 
will  be  possible  to  know  at  any  time  what  the  Academy  owns,  what 
has  been  its  increase,  and  what  becomes  of  the  material.  This 
work,  once  brought  up,  may  easily  be  made  to  keep  pace  with  the 
growth  of  the  collection.  The  present  work  of  labeling  and  arrang- 
ing leads  systematically  and  directly  to  that,  and  will  greatly  facili- 
tate its  execution. 


DONATIONS. 


The  donations  of  the  year  have  been  as  follows : 

FLORIDA  EXPEDITION— J.  W.  Velie,  collector,  already  mentioned. 

W.  W.  CALKINS — 80  botanical  species  ;  12  birds,  mounted  ;  I  box  of  ores ;  I  box 

of  pottery,  from  shell  mounds;  3  boxes  of  fish,  shells,  and  alcoholics. 
E.  W.  NELSON — 48  species  of  fish ;  24  birds,  mounted ;  2  boxes  of  fossils. 
Dr.  J.  W.  VELIE— 4  birds ;   1 1  species  of  eggs  ;   I  fish  ;  2  insects. 
THE  SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION — 82  specimens  of  fish,  in  alcohol. 
HENRY  K.  COALE — I  mammal;  2  birds. 
Dr.  EDMUND  ANDREWS — i  photograph;  i  cast. 
S.  C.  CLARK — 3  fish;  i  specimen  of  wood;   i  egg. 
ARTHUR  PEABODY — i  DOX  of  minerals  and  ores. 
Dr.  OLIVER  EVERETT,  Dixon,  111.— 2  boxes  of  Lower  Silurian  fossils,  from 

Dixon. 
FRANK  REILLY — i  fish. 

R.  W.  MdLVIANE— I  fish. 

C.  N.  HOLDEN,  Jr.— I  bird. 

Dr.  P.  F.  REINSCH — i  meteoric  stone. 

A.  D.  DAVIS — Flints  and  4  species  of  minerals. 

GEO.  P.  WELLES — 2  birds. 


31 

H.  C.  FREEMAN,  Alto  Pass,  111. — 5  young  foxes ;  2  birds. 
PAUL  BLATCHFORD — 2  reptiles. 
Dr.  F.  O.  C.  RICHARDSON,  St.  Louis — 6  photographs. 
O.  S.  WESTCOTT — i  bird. 

F.  L.  DsWiTT — 10  birds. 

W.  C.  EGAN — 2  large  slabs  and  80  species  of  Chicago  fossils. 

C.  J.  RONEY — 21  species  of  minerals;  6  species  of  fossils. 

Lt.  A.  W.  VOGDES,  Charleston,  S.  C. — 16  species  of  fossils. 

JAMES  W.  MILNER,  Washington,  D.  C. — 3  fish. 

W.  H.  SUMMERS — I  microscopical  slide;   i  specimen  of  echinus. 

W.  N.  BALLOU — Eggs,  chick  and  head  of  Arctic  tern. 

GEO.  F.  CLINGMAN — 2  birds. 

N.  S.  DAVIS,  Jr. —  i  egg  of  South  American  ostrich. 

RAY  L.  HARMON — 2  birds. 

E.  S.  CHESBROUGH — 4  specimens  of  fossils. 

A.  S.  TIFFANY,  Davenport,  Iowa — 10  species  of  Devonian  fossils. 

C.  C.  ABBE,  Manatee,  Fla. — i  beak  of  fetal  saw-fish ;   i  pair  of  jaws  of  whip-ray. 

Rev.  J.  R.  HIBBARD — i  specimen  of  anatifera. 

A.  M.  SIMMONS — I  hairy  calculus. 

EMIL  DREIER — 6  specimens  of  flint  implements,  from  Iceland. 

Dr.  E.  M.  HALE — i  stone  pipe. 

E.  W.  BLATCHFORD — i  box  of  ores. 

G.  F.  KIRBY — 7  specimens  of  Iowa  marbles. 


Pamphlet 

Binder 
Gaylord  Bros, 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  1 

PAT.  JAN  21,  1908 


sciences. 

A  y\  YM  t  P  T        O  /^ 
Xfcl-i,  J  t  vtO*  ww       CA*\J 

E.  YiT.   Blat 


chf ord. . . 


564S50 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


